Official: Beck To WTAM, Frantz To Evenings

As reported first right here on your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), and as expected today, it's officially been announced on Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100.

The Cleveland "Big One" will return Premiere syndicated host Glenn Beck to his old time slot, 9 AM-noon, effective November 3rd.

Current late morning host Bob Frantz interviewed Beck (in a presumably recorded segment) via telephone on his show this morning, and also announced his own move to the evening time slot. Frantz will air 7 PM-midnight weekdays starting the day after Beck's return to WTAM, election night, November 4th.

Beck told Frantz he was more than eager to return to the Cleveland radio airwaves:

"It's always been one of my favorite stations, 'TAM, and always one of my favorite cities. We had such a great relationship... The people just get it, listening to 'TAM, and I really, really miss them."

Frantz made brief comments about his own move to the station's evening slot, where his show will supplant the long-running "Sportsline":

"We'll have more time, a broader reach, a larger audience, we plan to do some amazing things."

Of course, none of this is news to OMW readers, but it has now been announced to the world by WTAM. Well, at least, the part of the world that listens to Bob Frantz's show, at any rate.

Oh, and more from another shoe dropping related to this announcement.

OMW hears that Beck's Akron affiliate, sister Clear Channel talk WHLO/640, will no longer carry his program after it starts on WTAM.

Instead, late afternoon local host Matt Patrick will move his WHLO talk show into the 9 AM-noon slot, starting that same November 3rd. Patrick, of course, will continue his long-running job as co-host of sister hot AC WKDD/98.1's morning drive show - and will slide down the Freedom Avenue hall during the 9 AM newsbreak to switch stations.

The WHLO move will return ABC Radio/Premiere afternoon drive host Sean Hannity to a full three-hour live clearance on the Akron station, and ABC stablemate Mark Levin moves up to a live clearance following Hannity, from 6-8 PM.

OMW already reported that Beck's other current Northeast Ohio affiliate, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria, will move Talk Radio Network host Laura Ingraham from evenings into the late morning time slot on November 5th, a move foreshadowed by the graphic "11.05.08. Change Is Coming. Believe It." on WEOL's web site...